What You Need to Know About REAL IDs Before the May 2025 Deadline
By Alice Ingram, Joel Hartz
If you are planning to travel in May or later, make sure to review your ID to ensure it complies with new federal regulations.
Following multiple postponements, the federal government will begin implementing the REAL ID program on May 7, 2025. Here’s an overview of what a REAL ID is, its potential necessity, the process for obtaining it, and additional information.
What Exactly Is a REAL ID?
A REAL ID is a type of identification that has been standardized by the federal government. It can take the form of a driver’s license or a non-driver ID.
Why You Need a REAL ID
Beginning on May 7, 2025, you will need REAL ID–compliant identification to do the following:
- Flying within the United States without the necessary identification
- Accessing military bases or federal buildings, such as courthouses, or entering nuclear power plants.
What You Don’t Need a Real ID for:
Driving or purchasing alcohol, voting, or opening a bank account. Also to note is that Federal institutions that previously did not need any type of identification for entry will not suddenly begin to mandate REAL IDs.
However, it is recommended to verify entry requirements for all museums, monuments, and national sites before your visit.
Important tip for families with children: the TSA does not mandate that individuals under the age of 18 must show identification while traveling domestically.
What Other Identification Will TSA Accept?
For those who are planning to travel soon, it is crucial to note that if you show your outdated driver’s license alone to a TSA officer on or after May 7, 2025, you will be denied access to security.
The Transportation Security Administration acknowledges that there are alternative valid forms of identification that can be presented at the airport security checkpoint for travel purposes.
You can find the full list on the TSA website. Here are a few common options:
- U.S. passport or U.S. passport card as well as DHS trusted traveler cards like Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST.
- An Enhanced ID
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
- A photo ID issued by a federally recognized Native American tribe is considered valid identification. Known as Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- A Permanent resident card
- A Foreign government-issued passport
If you arrive without proper identification, don’t worry – TSA can still screen you using an “identity verification process” as an alternative. However it will take extra time according to the agency “TSA recommends individuals without acceptable identification arrive at least three hours in advance of their flight time”
How to Tell If You Have a REAL ID
Check the upper right corner of your driver’s license or non-driver ID. If you see one of the symbols in the image above, you already have a REAL ID.
Enhanced ID vs. REAL ID
If you are from one of the five states that offer Enhanced IDs: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington you may already have an Enhanced ID.
To check if your ID is Enhanced, search for the term “enhanced” and an image of the American flag (see image above). If you already have an Enhanced ID, then you don’t need to get a REAL ID.
An Enhanced ID is a special type of American driver’s license or identification card that allows travel by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean without needing a passport. Also known as a WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant ID.
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If you are traveling to those destinations by air, you will still need a passport as a REAL ID cannot be used to enter other countries. However, because Enhanced IDs meet the requirements for REAL IDs, you can use your Enhanced ID for all the same purposes, including flying within the United States.
How to Get a REAL ID
You can get a REAL through your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The process is similar to getting a regular driver’s license or non-driver ID. Check with your state’s drivers licensing agency to determine state specific documentation, details of the application process and costs.
The Department of Homeland Security requires you to provide documentation that verifies five specific personal identifiers:
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Two proofs or Address of principal residence
- Lawful status as a U.S. resident
Some states allow you to order a Real ID, while others require you to schedule an appointment with the local DMV. Both federal and state authorities recommend getting a Real ID soon to avoid any issues with the upcoming deadline. It is anticipated that there will be a rush in demand for Real IDs as the deadline approaches.
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Why the New Requirements for REAL ID?
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the United States government established a bipartisan commission known as the 9/11 Commission to examine the events and propose strategies to prevent future attacks. Prior to this, the federal government had left the details of identification forms, such as driver’s licenses, to be determined by individual states without any regulation. The commission viewed this lack of uniformity as a potential security threat.
In its report, it highlighted that the terrorists were able to execute their plan due to some of them possessing fraudulent IDs which allowed them to board commercial flights. Therefore, it recommended to the federal government to… “set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses” [PDF].
This recommendation led to the enactment of the REAL ID Act of 2005, in which the federal government established its own criteria for state-issued identification cards. [PDF].
In essence, it establishes a uniform format for the information included on identification cards and the process by which states confirm the identity of applicants.
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